Lottery Turns Us Into Gamblers

Gambling is one of the most popular leisure activities in the UK, and with the advent of the National Lottery we are likely to become a nation addicted to gambling, according to Mintel’s report out today on gambling.

Prior to the lottery’s launch about 74% of the UK population gambled in one form or another; around 90% of the population had gambled in the year ending 30 November 1994, however, implying that around 15% of the population had been drawn into the market due to the National Lottery.

Before the Lottery, gambling was a male pastime, especially popular with adults age 35-44 and skilled manual workers. The introduction of the National Lottery increased the gambling of adults to such an extent that the profile of those gambling now matches the national population profile. Other findings from the report include that London has levels of participation below the average for most forms of gambling, particularly the football pools. Scotland however, has levels of participation above average.

The main losers from the National Lottery are existing small-scale lotteries and raffles, the pools, gaming machines in casinos, and bingo (which has a high proportion of female participants.) Horse racing was largely unaffected.

“Gambling” is available from Mintel, £375. Mintel: 0171 606 6000.